Against All Odds
by onthosenights
Summary: Set five years after graduation, this story follows our favorite characters, and their constant struggle with life. Intense, humorous, and heartbreaking, the girls' journeys are sure to make you laugh - and bring you to tears. So, what's stopping you? The adventure awaits. (In progress.)
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

All rights go to the creators of H2O: Just Add Water. I own nothing.

* * *

Cleo sighed happily, unable to remove the smile tugging at her lips. It had to be at least two in the morning. The night was filled of such a large amount of emotion, she felt as if her chest was about to explode. She leaned her back against the door as she saw the car headlights pull out of the driveway in the corner of her eye. The night just then began to sink in, and Cleo's jaw dropped in excitement. The female dropped her bag and ripped her heels off.

"Guys!" Cleo shouted, already halfway up the stairs. The 'guys' were really Emma, Rikki, and Bella. Cleo only shared a flat with Rikki, but since Cleo was to be out for the night, the girls came around for a sleepover. After senior year, Emma arrived back home, filled with the wonders of the world. She was quite shocked to find Bella inhabiting the Gold Coast. Emma held her guard up at first, not trusting Bella completely, but this was soon solved after about a month. The girls were quick friends, as the girls were both level-headed and open to change.

Cleo reached the top of the staircase to see her friends sprawled across the futon in its bed form, marathoning old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"What are you on about?" Rikki asked, mouth stuffed with popcorn.

Cleo was standing in front of the television, hands folded over her chest, the unmistakable smile still stubborn in its place.

"Oh no, she's got a bad case of the Lewis bug." Bella giggled and looked at the other girls. Rikki responded with a hearty laugh, but nothing from Emma. Emma's eyes were frozen on Cleo's hands - the left one to be particular.

"Oh my god." Emma breathed out. Rikki and Bella furrowed their eyebrows in confusion, but then followed Emma's line of vision.

Sure enough, there was a huge rock on her ring finger, which led to a parade of screams, 'CLEO's, and 'YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED'S. All four girls jumped on the bed, and though she'd go to her grave denying it, even Rikki squealed.

After jumping up and down on the bed for a good ten minutes, the breathless girls formed themselves into a circle, all attention on Cleo.

"I honestly didn't know Lewis had it in him," Rikki said, shaking her head.

"How did he do it?" Emma asked quickly, anxious to know all the details.

"It was perfect - the music, our places, the adventure - I...it was perfect. Lewis is perfect," Cleo replied, looking up as if the proposal was playing on the ceiling.. She was lovestruck, to say the least, and the task of getting some sense out of her was daunting to say the least.

"Oh my, somebody's in love," Bella laughed at Cleo's state - unable to even form proper sentences.

A distant ringing came from the corner of the room, and Cleo was shook out of her state. "Oh, that's me," Rikki said, as she went to retrieve her phone. The girls were looking at her in anticipation as a look of confusion crossed Rikki's face. "Unknown number. I'll be right back," Rikki explained, as she went downstairs to answer the call.

Emma, Bella, and Cleo continued to admire the ring that Lewis had so carefully chosen, and they got so lost in the excitement that they nearly didn't realize Rikki had came back. She looked taken aback, not able to take her eyes from her phone. Emma was the first to realize this, and she questioned with concern, "Is everything alright? Who was that?"

Rikki shook her head, "I - it was no one." Emma examined Rikki, and accepted the response. Emma had known Rikki long enough to know when she was trying to hide something. There'd be no use in prying, though, because Rikki could be more stubborn than a child who wanted ice cream.

Cleo continued to go over the details of the whole night over and over, each time Bella and Emma getting more into it. Rikki attempted to act like she was as into it as them - and no doubt, she couldn't be happier for her friend. It was the call she received that shook her up - more specifically the person who called her. Needless to say, she was a bit withdrawn afterwards.

••••••••••

It was a long night for the girls, no doubt. It had to be at least five in the morning when they fell asleep. The excitement over Cleo and Lewis getting engaged still resonated within the air. They were a young couple - both the age of twenty three, but they were Cleo and Lewis. They just _worked_ , and everyone had seen it coming from the age of sixteen.

When Bella awoke, she had a massive headache. Somehow, she'd ended up on the ground - whether she was kicked off or she rolled off - who knew. She felt disgusting and exhausted. She looked to see if any of the girls were up. Cleo and Emma were passed out on the bed, and Rikki was nowhere to be seen. Bella glanced around for a clock and it was an early eight o'clock. Bella had this habit where she couldn't sleep more than three or four hours when she wasn't in her own bed. She groaned, and made her way to the kitchen where she presumed Rikki would be.

Bella spotted Rikki as soon as she made her way down the stairs. Rikki was observing her coffee intently. She seemed to have been in deep thought, as she continued to stir her drink without taking notice of Bella. It was quite a surprise, seeing her up, as Rikki had always been the latest riser of the girls. "You're up early," Bella observed.

Rikki's eyes shot up - she looked startled. She recovered within a matter of moments and responded, "Yeah, couldn't really sleep last night - er, this morning." She shrugged, and began to sip her coffee.

Bella raised her eyebrows, "Why's that?" Bella began to make her way to the fridge. It was no surprise that she knew her way around the flat. All the mermaids gathered here multiple times whether it was full moon day, or simply a girls night. Bella scanned the shelves of the fridge, and her eyes set on the fruit salad that was in the front of the fridge.

Rikki answered quickly and sharply, "Nothing. It doesn't matter." Soon realizing the harshness of her response, Rikki added, "Sorry, I'm just tired and -," Rikki was about to add on, but stopped herself from venturing further into her thoughts. "Just tired," she concluded.

Bella was surprised at the fiery response from Rikki, especially so early in the day. Bella shook her head and insisted, "No, it's my fault for prying." After knowing Rikki for such a long time, Bella knew when a red flag was popped up. Rikki had her boundaries, just like everyone else. Bella then went for a new conversation, "So, what are your plans for the day?"

"Nothing, really. I'll probably just catch up on my sleep and go for a swim. You?" Rikki responded, cooled off from her outburst just a few seconds ago. The call she received earlier had set off a whole lot of emotions - all of which Rikki did not want to deal with.

"I'm actually helping Will with moving today," Bella answered, leaving out Zane's name. Sure enough, Zane and Will were renting a flat together. While they hated each other years earlier, they'd attended university together - and they just so happened to be roommates. They learned to stand each other, and eventually they became friends, hence the moving in together after college was finished. Rikki and Zane kept their distance from one another, and when they did see each other, sadly enough, they acted as if nothing happened between them. They went back to their usual routine of ignoring each other, no matter how badly they wanted to look back. Neither of them were very good with handling their emotions - never had been.

"Oh," Rikki responded shortly. She knew Zane and Will were moving in together, and the topic of Zane remained to be an awkward, touchy subject. The girls sat in silence for a few moments, then Rikki made an offer, "Hey, I think I'm gonna head for a swim to Mako. You up for coming?"

"Actually, I think I'm gonna try and sleep some more. You alright on your own?" Bella asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Always am," Rikki responded with a smile and wink, as she made her way for the door.

••••••••••

Emma groaned as the sunlight invaded her eyes. She stretched her arms out, and breathed in deeply. She sat for a minutes, letting the previous night sink in. First they were swimming, then ate pizza and watched some television, then Cleo arrived and... she was engaged! The excitement gave Emma a burst of energy, and she jumped out of bed. Her eyes had adjusted, and her eyes wandered the room for a clock. When her eyes landed on the blue dolphin clock placed on the coffee table, she nearly had heart failure. The clock read 2:30 in the afternoon. Emma was _always_ an early riser, so you can imagine how late this must've been. She glanced over to find Cleo still asleep - in fact, she was laughing in her sleep. That was a quirk of Cleo that Emma had noticed years earlier, at one of her previous sleepover birthday parties.

Emma's schedule was now completely thrown off, which she was not fond of in the slightest bit. Sure, breakfast was delicious at any time of the day, but Emma felt helpless when she would up with most of the day gone. She sighed remembering she had to wish her parents farewell, as they were going on a trip to volunteer in Uganda. They'd asked Emma to come with them, but she chose to stay home and try to sort everything out, now that she'd completed university. She majored in education, and had been helping out and being a student teacher in some of the Gold Coast schools.

Alongside Emma, Elliot was also to stay home. He'd grown up to be a responsible boy - almost as much as his older sister. He wanted to stay home, and finish his final year of school with his friends. He stayed in their childhood home, and Emma promised to keep a close eye on him.

Emma decided she should get a move on, and get ready to wave off her parents. She wrote a small note to Cleo, and talked to Bella for a bit as she passed through the kitchen. Her day had just started...already halfway over.

••••••••••

And, I suppose that's where you could say it all started - that particular night. Little did the girls know what trials and tribulations the events of that night would bring upon them. But, that's the thing about life - one day you're high up on the clouds, the next you've fallen flat on your face. But, against all odds, these girls would always make it through. Well, _hopefully_.

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 **A/N:** Oh my gosh! I just got inspiration for this story yesterday, and I simply couldn't wait to write it! This was just a bit of an intro chapter, so forgive me if it seemed a bit slow. Trust me, it'll be picking up in no time. I've got intricate plots in mind for each character, and I'm so excited to see what this turns into - I hope you are too! If you'd like me to continue writing this story, I so would appreciate reviews! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2: Unpacking

**Chapter 2: Unpacking**

All rights go to the creators of H2O: Just Add Water. I own nothing.

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"Well, would you look at that - you boys have finally got a kingdom of your own," Bella called to the blond and brunette males that were lifting a couch together. Zane and Will both turned their heads at the same time.

"Bella!" Will called, his face brightening up with a smile. From the day Will had met Bella, she could always brighten up his day, with no effort at all. They'd made themselves an official couple around the time of their final year of school- which dated back to nearly five years ago.

"Hey, handsome," Bella responded, moving forward, squinting her eyes to block out the blazing sun.

"Hey, pretty lady," Will opened his arms for a hug, and Bella closed in on him, resting her head on his chest and inhaling his scent. After a few moments they parted, and laughed, noticing Zane looking away awkwardly.

"Mate, if you really want to join, just ask," Will joked, grabbing Zane's attention.

"That's too much affection for me just watching - I'll be sick if I get any more," Zane threw back, acting disgusted at the couple's embrace.

"Sure, sure," Will responded, then taking his eyes from Zane. "So, Bells, how're the girls?"

When Will then brought his attention back to her, Bella processed his question. Bella's eyes lit up with excitement as she'd recalled the engagement - but then disappointment chased down the glint as she remembered it was for Cleo and Lewis to tell. "Oh, um, nothing. It was - uh - good. Great."

Will shook his head, laughing as he did so. "You're hiding something. Spill."

Bella frowned at his remark. "No, I'm not," she insisted, though she knew Will would be able to see right through her.

Will chuckled at Bella's attempts, "I love you Bells, but you're _such_ a liar."

"Oi, do you want me to help you move or not?" Bella exclaimed, hopefully putting an end to the subject. It was a daunting task to hide something from him for a whole day, but she was determined to keep the news under lock and key.

"Alright, I'll drop it. I bet you guys just had an embarrassing dance party," Will stated, a bit disappointed he couldn't pull the truth from Bella.

"You've got it, dreamboat," Bella responded sarcastically with a small laugh.

"Hey guys, I still exist, just to let you know," Zane butted in, as he picked up the box that read 'ZANE'S BOX - DO NOT TOUCH'.

"Oh, shut up. You get my attention most of the day, it's time for someone else's turn," Will remarked, shaking his head at Zane.

They were unlikely friends, Will and Zane. After school had finished, Will moved on to college. He majored in business, alongside what would be his enemy-turned-friend, Zane. When the two first met, they clashed instantly. They learned to severely dislike each other, and Zane's kissing Sophie while dating Rikki didn't quite help the case. Rikki and Will were good friends, and after Zane and Rikki's break-up, Will's distaste for the guy rose significantly. However, when roomed together at university, the boys had no choice but to learn to tolerate one another. Eventually, they - god forbid - became friends. It even turned into being best friends. But, there was no doubt that Will always felt a bit guilty about becoming so close with Zane. Will and Rikki's friendship was never quite the same afterwards - but only in the small things; she didn't stop around his place as much, and whenever the group was meeting up in the dormitory that Zane and Will shared, Rikki insisted she was busy. It was quite a sad thing, really. Everyone saw the change, but it was never brought to the surface.

"How about you two stop making lovey eyes at each other, and do something useful?" Zane suggested, shaking his head at the couple.

After Zane's relationship with Rikki went down the drain - because of his actions - Zane made many changes; some for the better and others, not so much. He became quite a cynic when it came to love. Sure, he might've been on a date or two in the years, but he would take the dates as a joke. They'd never end well, and he went home even less willing to open up to others.

Another change that occurred in Zane's life was linked to his father. Earlier in high school, their relationship had been mended, but unfortunately, this state didn't last long. You see, the Bennett family was always a broken one. When Zane was born, something tragic happened. His mother, Marie Bennett was lost in childbirth. Harrison's heart was torn into pieces. He'd lost the love of his life, and now he was left to raise his first child on his own. After this event, Harrison was turned bitter. He didn't know how to act with Zane, so they were never close during the boy's childhood. As Zane aged, Harrison became harsh and cold to Zane, insisting that he was useless and would never do anything productive. Harrison was a workaholic, his only focus being ways to make more money.

Zane lashed out in high school, as an attempt to catch his father's attention, but to no avail. Eventually, though, they'd taken some time and bonded with one another. This left things good for a few months, but their relationship quickly deteriorated. Harrison was never around - always at work or with his obnoxious girlfriend almost the same age as Zane. The two started fighting more, and everything was spiraling downhill. There was a point where things got even worse than they were, as Harrison expressed his anger towards Zane's choices. One day, a fight got heated - probably the worst one ever. Neither one of them could tell you what it was about, but that one was a lifechanger. When Zane left, he made a vow to never come back. He was breaking away from his father for good. That was four years ago, and Zane made no move to contact Harrison since. He moved on to college, and never looked back. It was a rough time on his own, but Zane chugged through it. And that takes us to Will, Bella, and Zane today.

"Right, let's get to it then," Bella started, frowning at the enormous amount of boxes.

Will groaned at the amount of boxes, and thought for a moment. The procrastination side of him took over as he made a suggestion, "Let's get some ice cream first."

"Sounds good," Zane agreed, already desperate for a break from unpacking.

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 **A/N:** Oh my gosh! I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner. I meant to, but sooner than I knew it, I was on vacation! I also apologize for the short length of this chapter. It's still early on in the story, and I know things are moving slow as details are still being established, but I'm super excited for what's to come. I really do appreciate reviews, as it helps push me through writing. Look forward to an update soon!


	3. Chapter 3: Boredom Strikes Again

**Chapter 3: Boredom Strikes Again**

All rights go to the creators of H2O: Just Add Water. I own nothing.

* * *

Emma was poking at the food that laid before her. The man sitting across from her had been talking for a number of minutes, and she must have zoned out in the first minute or so. The two of them were seated outside at a two-person table. It was a cozy little place that opened up on the Gold Coast around two years ago.

This said person, that had lost Emma's attention, was named Evan. The pair had met in university, but only briefly. Emma majored in education, and Evan majored in architecture, so they didn't see one another around too much. You see, though, Emma's parents had recently befriended a new couple, whose son happened to be Evan. Neil and Lisa insisted that the two officially meet and spend some time together.

Evan was like Emma in many ways. He was competitive, stubborn, and a definite rule-follower. He was interested in learning things, just as Emma was, and he preferred to stay in the company of intellectual thinkers. He was, simply put, the male version of Emma; well, minus the tail.

On this particular afternoon, Evan had asked Emma to meet her at this little restaurant called "Paradise Dining". Things like this had happened on multiple occasions, as they'd met a few months ago. Emma would be lying if she said that he'd bored her a tiny bit, but Emma remained polite, and did her best to be interested.

At the moment, however, she couldn't force herself to seem interested despite her best attempts. So, there Emma was, playing with her food, dying to be somewhere else, when Evan interrupted her thoughts.

"Emma? You alright there?" he questioned, obvious concern in his voice.

"Wha-oh yeah, I'm fine," she stated, recovering quickly. Then, in an effort to carry on conversation to avoid an awkward silence, she continued, "Sorry, what were we talking about again?"

"Oh, just the job market these days," Evan answered, trying to hide his slight annoyance at Emma's not paying attention.

"Right," Emma forced a smile and a small laugh. She'd felt so out of place in this conversation, and had no interest in making small talk at the moment.

When Evan was soon about to start a new conversation topic, Emma quickly cut in.

"Hey, I'm not feeling that great. How about a raincheck?" She asked, desperate to leave the conversation.

"Oh… Uh, yeah, I suppose so," Evan replied, disappointment threaded in his voice. This, no doubt, left Emma with a bit of guilt in the back of her head.

"Alright. Maybe next week, then?" Emma suggested, knowing she was setting herself up for the same boredom she was enduring now.

"Yeah, sounds great," Evan nodded and smiled, as if he was already planning it already.

"Thanks for being so understanding," Emma gave a small smile, and waved him goodbye before heading straight to the less deserted part of the beach.

As she left the small table, relief fled over Emma. She didn't know what it was about Evan, but he always made her feel so restless - like she had to get away. He was truly a nice guy, but obviously he'd been more committed to the friendship than Emma was.

When Emma reached the water, a smile grew on her face, as she allowed the water to wash up to her toes. She then ran straight into the water, right before she changed form into a mermaid. The feeling was freeing, when she was in the water. Emma sped her way to the moonpool, feeling the water running through her hair, already feeling refreshed.

Emma was happy to be away. After her time spent travelling, she'd come to appreciate peace and silence even more so. It was a life changing experience, really, travelling throughout the world. She'd learned so much on not just an education level, but on a spiritual one. She became closer with her family as they soaked in the culture of their surroundings.

Not all of the results of her trip were as excellent, though. This brings us to Ash, the person who pulled at her heart strings without effort. Before Emma had left on her trip, her relationship with Ash was at an all time high. They'd fallen for each other - and hard. Had they been given enough time, love could've been in the air.

But; that's not how it turned out. Life was no fairytale, and Emma learned that. Her family's trip was announced suddenly - part of Neil and Lisa's mid-life crisis. Ash got little explanation beforehand, and Emma barely got the chance to say goodbye. In the short time they had together, they decided that they would break up; long-distance relationships never seemed to last.

They promised to stay in contact with each other, but soon enough, a text a day turned into a text a week, then a text a month, and...you know where this is going. The two lost contact, and Emma's heart was broken. Ash was a constant in her life, and now that he was gone, she didn't know what to do. So, in Emma's best attempt to stop the pain, she presumed to turn off her feelings - at least the feelings for Ash.

With Emma's return to the Gold Coast, she found that Ash wasn't there. When she tried to call him, the operator said that his number was no longer in order - meaning that there was no way she could contact him. Emma, incredibly disappointed, buried her feelings for Ash even deeper.

From there, Emma's dating life hadn't been to busy. She'd met some people she liked, but the never quite did it for her, as her heart wasn't in it. Emma stayed focused on her studies, and graduated with honors for a degree in education, which takes us to this day.

Within moments, Emma reached her destination of Mako. As she swam her way into the much visited cave, Emma was surprised to see she wasn't on her own. She saw a familiar orange-ish tail as she made her way up to the surface.

Emma saw that it was her good friend, Rikki Chadwick. The two were brought together when they transformed into mermaids, alongside Cleo. There wasn't a doubt that they consistently clashed in opinions and ideas, but that's how it always had been. They were fire and ice, quite literally. They had their differences, sure, but that didn't prevent the constant love between them.

"Hey," Emma chimed, "didn't expect to see you here." She swam up closer to the convenient ledge they often used to sit on.

Rikki jumped a bit, just realizing that she wasn't alone. "Wh-oh yeah. It was a long night - I was hoping it'd wake me up, but obviously it didn't," Rikki shook her head, referencing to her lack of awareness.

"You've got that right. It's exciting about Cleo and Lewis though, right?" Emma mentioned, smiling again at the couple's recent engagement.

"Yeah, definitely. I swear, this has been coming from the first day he saw her," Rikki laughed slightly, at how much in love they were with each other. "So," Rikki started, beginning a new conversation, "what were you just up to?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was meeting up with Evan, but I wasn't up for that today," Emma shrugged, listing off the only thing she'd had on her plate today, but blew off.

"Emma, that guy likes you," Rikki laughed. All of the girls had known about Evan's constant attempts to bond with Emma, and her constant attempts to get away from him.

"No, no. He just wants to be friends," Emma insisted, putting her head down to hide the slight color rushing to her cheeks. It wasn't that she had romantic feelings for him, or anything - it's how Emma always was. She was quite modest when it came to boys.

"If you say so," Rikki shook her head. For a few moments, the two sat in a comfortable silence - which allowed Rikki time to think - to remind her of what had been weighing her down from the early morning. The thoughts pulled her mind down like rocks tied to her tail. It was all rooted from the strange call she'd received and -

Emma interrupted her thoughts, voicing with concern, "Hey, Rikki, you alright?"

"Yeah, of course," Rikki answered quickly - quickly enough that Emma was sure that something must've been wrong.

Emma stared at Rikki, trying to analyze her thoughts. Rikki had always been a hard girl to understand, and she was good at hiding her inner thoughts, but Emma was also pretty good at breaking through the shell. Emma thought back to the previous night, and she quickly remember the odd phone call that had Rikki a bit off. She knew Rikki didn't want any prying, but some things had to be done. "Rikki, does this have anything to do with that phone call last night?"

Rikki was taken aback. How Emma had managed to pinpoint exactly what was bother Rikki was almost scary. But, Rikki did what she does best, and closed her doors a latch tighter. "Emma, I'm fine, really. I'm not in the mood to talk about any of this," Rikki replied, slight exasperation bleeding through her voice.

"But," Emma immediately started, then stopped herself. She knew when to stop with Rikki, and this was that point. "Okay," Emma voiced. The two girls then sat in silence, listening to the slight movement of the water.

* * *

 **A/N** : Another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I have to admit, I'd gotten a small case of writer's block during this chapter. I pushed through it though, and I hope it turned out alright. As you can see, the chapter format is focusing on certain people each chapter, so It'll be a loop-type thing. I appreciate all of the reviews, as the truly do help me to write through each chapter. Thanks for reading!


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